How does Samsung Pay work?

Now that Samsung Pay is officially here in India, it’s time to give it a try. Not everyone can — just those who own a newer Samsung phone, mostly in the A series and of course the recent flagships such as the Galaxy S6s and S7s. For these customers, it’s worth a try because it’s a glimpse at the future of payments.

First, search for the Samsung Pay app on your phone. You have to set up the app for payment. The app must know that it’s you using it, so either you register your fingerprint or use a PIN. The fingerprint will of course be the fastest to use after setup but if your device has been fussy or inaccurate, opt to use the PIN more regularly.

The next thing you do is connect the app to your credit card or mobile wallet. At this point, not all banks are supported. In fact, Citibank is to come in shortly. And neither are all wallets — but Paytm is available. Linking a credit or debit card, if the bank concerned is supported, is easy enough. You either let the app’s camera ‘see’ the card or enter the particulars manually. Connect to Paytm using the OTP that will be sent to your phone via SMS. Now, march off armed with your phone and try to buy something. Samsung Pay is supposed to work anywhere because it uses both NFC and MST or Magnetic Secure Transmission, which means the seller doesn’t have to upgrade any hardware to make it work.

So all you need to do is fire up the app and hold the phone close to the side or top of the card machine. The rest should now happen on its own but equipment does differ and right at this initial stage, there may be a few glitches.

Why should you bother with Samsung Pay at all? If it needs a pin or you need to authorise it with a fingerprint, why not just stick with the old tried and tested way of handing over your credit card? The idea is that as the mobile payment method becomes more widely used, the process will become quicker and more effortless.

Shop personnel will not look doubtful about being able to support this newfangled tech. The other important reason to use Samsung Pay and any other similar methods that come up is that you don’t hand over your card to anyone. If the payment method becomes widely used, you can even leave your card at home where it’s safer, reducing the chance of misuse.

COMMENT NOW